Four thousand years ago a remarkable culture, that of the pastoral nomads, emerged in the Eurasian steppes north of the Great Wall of China, in the vast expanse of grasslands that stretches from Siberia into Central Europe. By the first millennium B.C., material prosperity among the nomads had brought about a flowering of creativity and the evolution of a new artistic vocabulary.

The pastoral peoples left no written record, but the artifacts that remain provide a key to understanding their culture and beliefs. Beautifully crafted and highly sophisticated and abstract in design, these objects are visual representations of the natural and supernatural worlds that guided their lives.

An equestrian people, the nomads produced many objects associated with horses and the paraphernalia of riding. These were embellished primarily with animal motifs. The figures that populate these small objects—ibex and hedgehogs, deer and camels, griffins and dragons—at time exhibit violence and aggression, at times an appealing charm, but always spirit and vitality. This "animal style" would remain a significant source of inspiration in the decorative arts of the Eurasian continent for centuries to come.

The artistic exchange between the pastoral peoples and their settled Chinese neighbors through trade, migration, marriage alliances, and warfare contributed to the cultural development of both groups. This book chronicles that exchange and tells of the legacy of their art, with iconographic analyses and detailed descriptions of nearly two hundred artifacts.

The objects, a recent gift to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, are drawn from the distinguished collection of Eugene V. Thaw, with additional works selected from other New York collections and from the holdings of the Metropolitan Museum.

Watt, James C. Y. "The Giraffe as the Mythical Qilin in Chinese Art: A Painting and a Rank Badge in the Metropolitan Museum." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 43 (2008). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008.

Bunker, Emma C., with contributions by James C. Y. Watt and Zhixin Sun. Nomadic Art of the Eastern Eurasian Steppes: The Eugene V. Thaw and Other Notable New York Collections. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002.

Milhaupt, Terry Satsuki. "Netsuke: From Fashion Fobs to Coveted Collectibles." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000.

Moore, J. Kenneth. "Music and Art of China." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000.

Roda, Allen. "Musical Instruments of the Indian Subcontinent." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000.

Willmann, Anna. "Edo-Period Japanese Porcelain." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000.

Willmann, Anna. "The Japanese Tea Ceremony." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000.

Titles by author (18)

Emma C. Bunker

Print Titles

Bunker, Emma C., with contributions by James C. Y. Watt and Zhixin Sun. Nomadic Art of the Eastern Eurasian Steppes: The Eugene V. Thaw and Other Notable New York Collections. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002.

Zhixin Sun

Print Titles

Bunker, Emma C., with contributions by James C. Y. Watt and Zhixin Sun. Nomadic Art of the Eastern Eurasian Steppes: The Eugene V. Thaw and Other Notable New York Collections. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002.

Watt, James C. Y. "The Giraffe as the Mythical Qilin in Chinese Art: A Painting and a Rank Badge in the Metropolitan Museum." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 43 (2008). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008.

Bunker, Emma C., with contributions by James C. Y. Watt and Zhixin Sun. Nomadic Art of the Eastern Eurasian Steppes: The Eugene V. Thaw and Other Notable New York Collections. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002.

Nomadic Art of the Eastern Eurasian Steppes: The Eugene V. Thaw and Other Notable New York Collections

This exhibition presents the dynamic art of the nomads who roamed the Eastern Eurasian steppes during the first millennium B.C. and influenced the art of the sedentary cultures that came in contact with them. Dating from the tenth century B.C. to the second century A.D., the objects on view—in bronze, gold, silver and jade—include horse harnesses and chariot fittings, belt ornaments, garment plaques, weapons, and vessels. While the majority of these works are from the Mongolian steppes and North China, a small number are from Central Asia, Siberia, and from as far away as Eastern Europe. The works are drawn largely from the collection of Eugene V. Thaw, a recent gift to the Museum, and also include selections from other private collections and the Metropolitan Museum's holdings.

In the early part of the first millennium B.C. the inhabitants of the vast Eurasian steppes began to practice a new form of economy known as pastoral nomadism that was based on livestock herding and involved frequent seasonal migrations. The economic success that the nomads had achieved by the fifth century B.C. brought about the efflorescence of a distinctive artistic style that was characterized by its extensive use of animal motifs. The animals, both wild and domestic, are represented either realistically or in varying degrees of stylization, creating a rich decorative vocabulary of imagery. Among principal examples in the exhibition are a bronze belt plaque depicting a fierce wolf attacking a doe, and a gold belt buckle inlaid with semiprecious stones showing a bear biting the shoulder of an ibex.

The exhibition is organized according to the functions of the objects and draws the viewers' attention to each work's aesthetic appeal. It also aims to illustrate the nomads' contributions to the art of their settled neighbors in urban centers. The bold and dynamic images of the "animal style" art that the nomads created remained a vital source of inspiration in the decorative arts of the Eurasian continent.